


Whiteout

by FahriiCat_Archives



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FahriiCat_Archives/pseuds/FahriiCat_Archives
Summary: As he closed his eyes, his only thoughts were of his team, and as he felt a strange sensation of being pulled in all directions, he heard a distant lion’s roar.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Whiteout

**Author's Note:**

> Original post date: Jun. 17, 2018

The jolt of pure electricity coursed through Shiro’s veins, immobilizing him completely and rendering him nearly unconscious. It felt as though his blood had been replaced with a blazing fire that reached every part of him. Part of him wanted to scream, but he found that he couldn’t force a sound out of his mouth. His remaining energy was fading fast, and he knew that if he didn’t get some sort of message to his team in the next minute, they would never hear him again. His grip on Black’s control stick didn’t waver, however, and he watched as his Galran hand began to spark. Bright white flames tinted purple sparked and fizzled, creating a sort of personal light show that reflected in Shiro’s dimming eyes. His breath coming in short gasps now, Shiro knew in his heart he was out of time. As he closed his eyes, his only thoughts were of his team, and as he felt a strange sensation of being pulled in all directions, he heard a distant lion’s roar.

__________

Dear God, it hurt to wake up.

Shiro’s entire body burned and ached with the strain of pushing himself up on his elbows to survey the area around him. He found he was lying in soft golden sand, and felt as it uncomfortably got caught in the metallic joints of his right arm. Opening his eyes completely against the jarring sunlight, he turned to see a small shack in the middle of this nowhere place, and his heart skipped a beat as he recognized so easily the sight of the old rickety steps and disheveled appearance. Forcing himself to his feet, he weakly began taking a few steps toward the front door. The closer he got, the more he could feel his legs. Soon, he was running toward the faded wood handle of the door.

The moment his fingers made contact, the entire scene disappeared. In its place, a frozen, purple-hued wasteland greeted the Japanese man. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as he was hit with the complete stillness like a freight train. Around him, he could hear the faint sounds of what could be classified as wind, and he could’ve sworn that if he were not so frightened, he would have picked out voices and whispers that spoke to him. His feet landed on the ground, and he found it surprisingly solid. Everywhere his feet made contact with the translucent grass, a ripple of light would expand outward and disappear in a burst of small light bubbles. Bringing his hand to his face, Shiro saw that he, too, was transparent enough to be noticeable.

What the hell had happened?

Standing still, Shiro turned his head and looked around him for anything familiar, and found nothing. His gut twisted as he remembered the last time he had been here during the fight with Zarkon over the Black Lion. The sky was much less Galran, however, and he was slightly comforted by the blue-ish color around him. Risking a step, he found his movements were fluid and painless, and he made up his mind to explore. As he rounded a corner, he was met with a sight he’d never forget; a huge creature loomed over him, nearly as tall as the cherry blossom tree his grandmother planted so many years ago. Blazing golden eyes stared down at him as the beast lowered itself closer to the ground to look at the paladin. It let out a low rumble from its throat, and Shiro then realized that he was staring at a massive lion. Smooth, black fur rippled along its muscles as it shifted and moved, and it looked as though made of the stars themselves.

“B-…Black?”

The lion seemed to smile at that, sitting on her haunches as Shiro took in her magnificent form above him.

My son.

Shiro felt as though he had been run through with Voltron’s sword. The female voice that sounded in his head resonated in echoes around the two, filling the air with the comfort of a solid voice. With those two words, the black paladin felt an overwhelming sense of peace and love overcome him. He looked higher to hopefully meet Black’s eyes.

“Did you just…speak?”

Black said nothing, but lowered her head once again and rolled to her side so she was now lying on her left flank to face Shiro. Now that he saw her in the light, he felt the urge to drop to his knees in reverence. Her robotic design transferred to her fur, with hints of yellow, patches of white, and large wings that appeared painted on due to how easily the colors stood out against the black. Everything about her looked identical to her mechanical counterpart, albeit much fuzzier. Her very presence demanded respect, and it was in that moment that Shiro realized the impact she had on the world around her, and why the other lions so willingly respected her. Tentatively, Shiro reached out a hand and placed it on her muzzle, his hand the size of her nose. She purred.

My son. My paladin.

This time, Shiro stayed quiet, opting to close his eyes and breathe her in instead. Pleased, she tilted her head forward against the ground to press Shiro’s hand more firmly into her fur. Her eyes closed as well, and Shiro felt a mental push as he was thrust out of that peaceful realm. Tearing his eyes away from his lion, he was shocked to see he was back near Keith’s old shack. He let go of Black’s cheek fur, running toward the door and vowing to open it this time. Even in the dark of night, he still saw each rivet and each scratch on the door that he had memorized each time he came to visit the boy. Opening the door, he cautiously stepped inside.

“Keith?” he called softly. The silence seemed a bit too overwhelming. “Keith? Are you here?”

Making his way slowly to check each room, Shiro paused outside of Keith’s room that he had taken for himself when his father had died. Looking in, he saw two figures lying down on the bed. Instinctively reaching for his bayard, his hand hit empty thigh and he looked down to see the bayard was nowhere in sight. He started slightly as a high pitched whimper sounded around the room and one of the figures stood from the covers. A form much taller than he would have expected arose, and he listened to the quiet murmurs and hushes that were directed to a baby Shiro now saw in the crib by the wall. From the voice, it was a woman, likely the baby’s mother. He couldn’t get a good glimpse at her, but still noticed her bicolored hair and deep maroon cheek tattoos. Markings, maybe? With a jolt, he realized this woman was Galra, and holding a human child close to her.

Jumping forward, he let out a cry as he tried to reach the child and take it from the purple-skinned cat alien in front of him. His hand, however, went right through them both. He stopped abruptly, seeing he was still slightly transparent. Staring in disbelief, he watched as the woman rocked the baby gently in her arms, singing a lullaby in what Shiro figured was the Galran language. The child was soon asleep, and set back in the crib before the woman got back into the bed and snuggled under the covers to go back to sleep. Shiro now stood in the sudden silence of the room, looking down at the child with the jet black hair and caucasian skin.

In his head, he heard a faint roar before the vision in front of him disappeared. Back in front of the Black Lion, he noticed the surrounding area was again the vast empty space of the astral plane.

“Was that…Keith?” Shiro asked hesitantly.

The lion responded with an affirmative purr. Shiro sat, overwhelmed. Black crouched next to him, allowing him to rest against her muzzle.

“Why am I here?” he asked suddenly, not exactly knowing why it escaped his lips without his permission.

In answer, Black stood, causing Shiro to topple over onto the soft grass. He looked up as she tilted her head upward and let out a low wailing noise that filled the paladin with an overpowering sadness and grief. It was the only noise he could hear, and it echoed all around him. She continued until Shiro began receiving flashes of what had happened in the last minutes he remembered. He saw through Black’s eyes, felt through her body, that, like a powerful lightning blast, sparks of electricity had flooded his system and overwhelmed his heart. He watched as his hands glowed purple against black, and he slumped forward before flickering in and out of view. With a familiar pull, Shiro watched as his body was enveloped in a bright light, orbs of sunlight permeating through his body. Black’s cockpit suddenly sparked to life despite her damage, blinding him temporarily.

When he opened his eyes, he was faced with an empty seat and wisps of purple light traveling back into Black’s body. Pushing his legs to move, he followed the trails that led him deep into Black’s infrastructure. Being able to move through solid objects allowed him to follow the traveling lights directly to where Black’s heart would be, if the robotic form had one. Once there, he saw the lights converging into a glowing white and purple box, illuminating the surrounding mechanical structures. The lights dimmed, and Shiro was thrust back into the astral plane, Black finally falling silent.

“Did I die?”

Black looked down to him, moaning low in her throat and sending him waves of comfort tinted with guilt.

I could not save your body, my cub.

Shiro blinked in shock. He was dead. Truly, officially dead.

“You saved my quintessence…” he said slowly.

My cub is in my heart.

Her words struck Shiro in his chest, as he realized that he now lived in Black. This was Black’s mindscape. Her world. Her mind. Tears gathered in the man’s eyes, falling silently down his cheeks. He knelt on the ground and held his body up with his arms, letting them escape his eyes and land on the grass. Each tear that landed left a small burst of light before disappearing, no evidence left behind that it had ever touched the grass. Black lied down next to him again, nosing him gently. He looked into her yellow eyes, seeing the love that was conveyed there and the peace and comfort she promised.

My cub is safe.

_________

Time passed differently here. Shiro assumed years passed, when in reality it may have only been months. Seconds turned into hours, and weeks turned into centuries. All the while, Black would walk with him as he simply commanded his body to move forward, not knowing what else to do. He found he no longer needed to eat or drink, now that his physical body had been vaporized in order to have enough energy for Black to store his essence. Every moment that passed, he thought of the team and how they were faring without him there. Lance most likely was trying to make jokes that just didn’t stick. Hunk and Pidge were probably burying themselves in their work as they tried to distract themselves. Coran and Allura would run the castle as usual, despite having a sadder undertone. Keith, he hoped, would be accepted by Black’s mechanical mind, and she would allow him to lead them in his absence.

Black reassured him through their connection that all was well and they were safe, and Keith had successfully managed to connect with her. Shiro felt pride, yet his own type of grief in that moment. A short while after that happened, Shiro felt a burning pain in his head. It was the first real physical pain he’d felt since being here, and he hated to admit he may have forgotten just what it felt like. He cried out, clutching his temples tightly, as he heard Black’s triumphant roar fill the void of silence. He looked over to see she had gone, and he was alone on his knees.

“Black?” he called, desperate. The pain was building. “Black, please!”

His vision whited out without warning, until he saw the physical realm of space that had become so familiar to him. He felt Black’s excitement and confusion. He felt Keith’s relief and his thoughts of finally, finally, finally. He was seeing through Black’s eyes. He’d become his lion. Staring into the darkness of space, he saw a small ship approaching, and felt Black’s embrace…but not toward him. She directed it to this small figure in the cargo ship, and, as Shiro looked closer, he saw…himself.

Long, unruly hair covered the face, but the scar on the bridge of his nose was unmistakable. But…if he was in the astral plane, who was that? How did he get here? That couldn’t possibly be him…right?

Black’s confusion overwhelmed him suddenly as she agreed with his sentiments, but was still open to the idea that maybe it was Shiro after all. Through the connection, Shiro felt that she began debating whether or not to allow the saved essence to enter this new body, but Shiro felt that something was very, very wrong here. His chest ached with a longing that, maybe, just maybe, it would be possible to return to his team, but shoved it down. He watched from afar as the other him interacted with the team and grew close to them as he had, and spend several nights learning to expand his consciousness past Black’s physical form. The lion sat with him, offering energy and confidence as Shiro’s spiritual body strained and begged for him to stop. But he wouldn’t stop, and he vowed he would get to his team before that imposter did.

It was the equivalent of a week and a half before Shiro finally broke through the physical barrier holding him back. He felt Black’s robotic body jolt forward as though she were coughing up an intrusion. In a way, he supposed she was. As she righted herself to sit regally, he sprinted through the castle, searching in every room for the other him. He found him quickly, sitting on his old bed and grabbing his head in a clear indication of agony. Shiro stepped forward, a grimace already setting on his face. He reached out to grab the shoulder of this other man to shake him to reality and demand answers, but, instead, as he made contact with the other, the vision of a white-haired witch with her hands out greeted him. He reeled back as though physically struck, the image of Haggar clearly in control flooding his head.

After he gained his bearings, he saw the other man shake his head, stand, and make his way out in the direction of the bridge. Shiro felt indistinct rage and fear flood through him like a virus, and he went to run after him. He didn’t make it out the door before the purples and pinks and blues of the astral plane again greeted him. Stopping in midair, he felt himself slowly fall to the ground to be greeted by Black’s questioning eyes.

“What happened?” he hissed. “What did you do? I was so close!”

You have no strength left. Connection was weak.

“It was clearly strong enough to see Haggar obviously controlling that other me!” Shiro cried, frightened and confused.

There is no danger yet.

“Please don’t lie to me, Black,” Shiro said quietly, sitting next to her large paw. “That…thing…isn’t me. He’s not me.”

Black didn’t respond, but sent loving purrs and comforting touches with her tail against Shiro’s back. Shiro found that he couldn’t hold back the feelings of desperation and foreboding, and allowed himself to cry once more against Black.

_________

Black woke him with a shove. He fell off the paw he’d cried himself to sleep on with a grunt, looking up at his lion with a glare. Black sent a ferocious haze of urgency that slammed into Shiro’s mind, forcing him up. A large black tail drove him forward, and he began running alongside his lion. The two traversed the landscape that seemed never-ending, Shiro remaining fairly confused all the while. Without warning, he ran straight into Black’s paw that had come from seemingly nowhere in front of him. Now that he had the chance to sit and rest, he noticed this place looked different. Gone were the purples and pinks, now replaced with blues and indigos. Looking down in wonder, he saw he was standing in a patch of the brightest blue and violet light he’d ever seen. He couldn’t ever put a name to the feeling that came over him then.

Warmth suddenly filled the air, and the form of the Black Lion faded. Shiro felt a sting of panic for a moment, until the feeling of being surrounded by love and family brought him back to the present. In front of him were pillars of light; blue, yellow, green, and red. Staring upward, he saw that his own purple pillar met the other four in the sky to create a blazing white beam that kept going upward toward infinity itself. Throughout the wind beginning to pick up, he could hear the shouts of the other pillars.

“Lance!”

“Keith? Allura?”

“Hunk!”

“Pidge?”

“Shiro!”

“Shiro?”

“Shiro, where are you?!”

Shiro’s eyes began to fill with tears as he recognized that he was surrounded by his team. They were all here, and all looking for him. Slowly, each color began to fade as the connection broke. In a surge of panic, Shiro turned toward the brightest remaining pillar - the red.

“Lance!” he cried, desperately shouting over the roaring in his ears. They had to know that whoever was piloting Black wasn’t who they thought he was. “Lance, listen to me!”

He heard a faint call of “What?!” respond, before the pillar disappeared and the scene faded to become the familiar plains again. Shiro dropped to his knees, unable to feel Black next to him. Pounding at the ground, he let out a cry of frustration. He had been so damn close. Leaning back into a crouch, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Patience yields focus.

He set his hands flat upon the grass, watching as they lit up the fauna around him with a faint white glow. It wasn’t strong enough. Shiro grit his teeth and furrowed his brows as he strained his mind harder, willing it to become one with his spiritual body. His head picked up a lion’s mournful cry before he was abruptly surrounded by colors and lights and blinding yellow before being greeted with the sight of Black’s dark hangar. He’d successfully merged completely with his lion, and felt her raw power coursing through his veins. He gasped, catching his breath. Despite having done this several times in the past, nothing had ever been like this.

Good luck, my son.

“Black?” Shiro called in response. “What do you me - ”

Not even getting a chance to finish his question, Shiro was thrown from Black’s body, his translucent form crashing to the floor in a heap. This was one of the rare times Shiro was glad his body wasn’t physical, as he simply got up and took a running start down the hallway to the bridge. As he neared, he heard the sounds of a conversation from the flight deck, likely the team discussing strategies. As he peered through the crack, he saw a large body clothed in dark indigo with long silver hair standing with the group. His heart stopped for a moment as he recognized Prince Lotor, Zarkon’s heir.

With a snarl, he pushed his body through the door and went to tackle Lotor, only succeeding in falling directly through him and, subsequently, into Coran. He picked himself up, furious at his lack of physical touch ability. He allowed himself to stand in the corner of the ragtag circle and listen. Turning, he found himself standing next to the other him, and his head began to burn and ache. Staring the other man down as he proceeded to begin a standoff with Allura, Shiro’s eyes burned into his, and the only thought in his head was Kuron.

Kuron, Kuron, Kuron.

Black.

Shiro frowned as this man - Kuron - interacted with his beloved team. He saw Lance attempt to step between Allura and Kuron as a mediator, attempting to calm the situation. Shiro felt pride toward the boy, knowing he was a kindhearted soul deep below the exterior flamboyant and flirty persona.

“I told you to stay out of this!” Kuron roared, facing Lance entirely with fury in his eyes.

“How dare you?!” Shiro screamed back at him, knowing full well no one could hear or see him. “How dare you speak to my team that way?!”

Lance looked hurt, tears starting to brim in his eyes. Shiro’s heart broke as Kuron just went back to Allura and offered ultimatums. His fists clenched as Kuron turned his back on the others and stalked out of the room like a panther, his words laced with poison. Shiro didn’t focus on the rest of the exchange, as the others quickly retreated to their rooms, including Lotor. If Lotor was openly working with Voltron, time must pass quicker in the astral plane than Shiro originally thought. His blood ran cold as he could only wonder what else had passed without his knowledge.

Disgusted by Kuron, Shiro had no intention of following him to his room. Instead, he meandered about the common places the paladins could be found. Both Hunk and Pidge were near the engineering room, tinkering over a new project that looked promising. A plate of what appeared to be cookies sat next to them, and Shiro licked his lips subconsciously as the desire for food came over him. Leaving the two to their work, he made his way to the training room. Not surprisingly, Keith wasn’t there. He’d caught wind that the former paladin had joined forces with the Blades, and that meant he had no reason to be here. It didn’t stop the small feeling of disappointment, though.

Continuing through the hallways, he found himself in the dormitories. Bypassing his room, and twisting to give a gesture through the door that he knew Kuron would never see, he found himself in front of Lance’s door. Passing through it, he noticed Lance under the soft blue blanket, huddled around himself. He appeared to be asleep, if the steady rise and fall of his chest was any indication. His eyes, however, were rimmed with bright red and were puffy. Tear-stain marks trailed down his cheeks, and Shiro felt his heart break for the second time that evening. He sat on the bed next to the red paladin, placing a hand on his knee only to have it fall through. Biting back the wail of misery in his chest, Shiro simply sat back and listened to the boy’s soft breaths, hoping that maybe…just maybe…Lance would know how loved he was, and would know that at least for right now he was not alone.

_________

More time passed. Each day, Shiro grew stronger and stronger in his spiritual form. Occasionally Black would offer an added boost of energy, but Shiro soon learned even her energy was limited if she were to continue being piloted as the head of Voltron. Most of her energy and quintessence was centered around healing her wounds and damages nowadays, especially after being put through rigorous missions brought to the team by Lotor himself. She would return to her astral form beaten and tired, and it would fill Shiro both with anger and a newfound determination to get rid of Lotor and Kuron once and for all. Nothing about the two set right with him at all.

Practice makes perfect, as his grandmother always said. With this in mind, Shiro and Black worked together to bring Shiro to the physical world so his spirit could keep tabs on his team. He watched as, from the inside out, they slowly drifted and fell apart. He was helpless to stop them, and that filled him with dread for the upcoming days and months. How would they possibly hope to win a war against a an entire race if they were so disconnected? Despite Shiro’s best efforts, he still wasn’t strong enough to enter dreams or project himself visually in order to warn one of the others, and Black’s irritation at that fact melded seamlessly with Shiro’s distress.

Using the paladin’s sleep schedules to keep up with time as best he could, Shiro still found himself missing large chunks of time due to the accelerated rate in the astral plane. Frustration began to build the more he found out about Kuron and Lotor, and he would constantly ask any gods that existed in this realm why it had to always be him, and why he couldn’t just talk to the team one last time. Black tried to calm his racing mind, but to no avail. Shiro had surpassed the fight or flight response, and was now actively fighting against both time and Kuron. Lotor could be dealt with much easier, as the trust in him seemed wavering from the very beginning.

Kuron was smart.

His wits scared Shiro to the bone, as he saw just how fluidly he persuaded the team that things were well. It made the paladin realize that even Kuron must not know who or what he is. His mind control must be so intense that he was essentially working on autopilot, blindly following subliminal commands.

Haggar.

Damn that witch. Shiro snarled. First she targets the team as a whole, but then continues to make it worse by using their weakness completely against him. His heart sank as he watched Keith fighting alongside Kuron valiantly, proud yet unsatisfied. Ever since he’d moved back with the paladins, things had just become more strained. While he still did not pilot a lion, he proved himself a valuable asset in each mission they went on. Shiro couldn’t shove down the feeling of strange disappointment, as though Keith surely must be able to realize Kuron was the wrong Shiro. He combated each feeling of grief and suspicion by practicing harder with Black until his metaphorical body began to sweat with the struggle of constantly merging between the dead and the living.

He hated seeing Kuron in his seat. He hated seeing Kuron with his team. He hated seeing Kuron next to Keith and Lance. Meanwhile, Allura was becoming enraptured with Prince Lotor, and Shiro wanted nothing more than to shake her shoulders and demand that she wake up! Just wake up!

What Shiro didn’t expect, was for Haggar to succeed in gaining full control of Kuron in such a quick amount of time. None of the paladins even knew what hit them. Literally. One moment they’re speaking with a new Altean, and the next, Kuron is smashing his fist in their faces at such a velocity that it completely took out Lance, Coran, and the Altean. He forced himself to project, entering the chaos of the castle, knowing he couldn’t do anything but watch it all unfold. He screamed and protested and wailed as Kuron targeted more of his family in order to reach an escape pod, his eyes glowing a dangerous Galran purple. A wordless screech left Shiro’s mouth as Black flooded his mind, shutting out his vision and demanding he return to her. Coughing, he sat up straight next to her and saw she was fluffed up as though ready for a battle that wouldn’t come.

“What have you done?!” Shiro yelled, his desperation beginning to get the better of him. “Kuron has Lotor! He’s going to destroy Voltron!”

Be still, child.

“Don’t you dare tell me to be still,” Shiro hissed, pacing back and forth. Each time he tried to re-enter the world, he felt Black’s essence overpower him and keep him grounded.

Hush. He comes.

“What? Who comes? What do you mean?”

Black didn’t answer. She only let Shiro have glimpses of the current war taking place within his team. Specifically, Keith and Kuron. Shiro cried out helplessly as he watched Kuron gain a regenerated arm, powering it up and forming a sharp quintessence sword. Keith fought bravely, nearly breaking Kuron’s composure, but the clone forced his feelings to the side and Shiro caught brief flashes of Haggar with her arms out surrounded by lightning.

Keith severed Kuron’s arm from his body, and Shiro couldn’t help but wince in sympathetic agony as he imagined his own arm being ripped off again. Black cut off the connection, leaving Shiro in the purple astral plains as he pleaded and begged her to let him see more.

He comes.

Shiro’s head whipped around as Black’s voice came from directly behind him. Instead of the beast, he saw a sight that made him nearly black out with relief. Keith was standing in the center of the field, shouting his name and calling for him. He looked for the most part unscathed, but Shiro guessed it was mainly because this was not a physical body.

“Keith.”

The boy started, looking around him.

“I know this must be confusing,” Shiro began, making his way toward Keith. “Please just let me explain.”

“Shiro?” Keith cried. “Where are you? You tried to kill me!” Shiro’s heart shattered at the fear in his voice. “Th-the team,” Keith continued. “Y-you said you’d taken care of them already! Shiro, what - !”

He cut himself off as Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he was faced with the sight of the real Shiro in all his glory, glowing and seemingly breathing and real. Shiro took in the sight of his brother in front of him as he began explaining the story. Keith looked disturbed and shocked as the true story began to unfold and his eyes lit up in morbid understanding.

“Lance said he heard you when we were in the mindscape,” Keith said.

“Yes, I was trying to call out to him,” Shiro began. “But the connection was not strong enough, and I was unable to reach him properly. He - … Keith?”

Keith was nowhere to be seen. Only empty space floated in front of him, and Shiro realized his energy had been depleted to the point that the connection he had with Keith had tapered off. He screamed into the sky in anger, knowing he was so damn close and yet so damn far. He stomped over to where Black’s form waited, and she sent calming waves to his psyche. He sat against her side.

“What do I do, Black?”

____________

“Shiro! Help me!”

Shiro was startled from his thoughts as Keith’s desperate shout rang through the air.

“Keith?”

“Shiro!”

“Keith, where are you?!” Shiro searched around him frantically, seeing no sign of the boy. “Keith!”

He comes.

Shiro stopped as Black spoke, knowing that if she said he would, Keith would show up. Sure enough, the panicked form of Keith materialized next to him and he began desperately babbling about the team being in danger and he wouldn’t reach them fast enough at the pace Black was flying.

“Shiro, please help me!”

Shiro steadied him with his own mind, sending Keith feelings of being grounded and secure. “Feel the Black Lion,” he said, closing his eyes along with Keith. “Merge with her and see through her eyes.”

Please, Shiro begged. Please.

Keith suddenly disappeared from his side, and he heard Black’s roar all around him. It was so powerful that it took him to his knees, and seemed to drain the energy from his body. The last thing he saw was glowing yellow eyes and flashes of white and purple.

___________

Shiro awoke to the feeling of his insides being pulled in one direction. It felt as though whatever had a hold on him had no struggle pulling his consciousness through the astral plane, and he was so exhausted he opted to lean back and not fight back this time. This presence did not feel hostile. Instead, it felt strangely familiar. Black’s presence remained by his side, sending him tranquility and acceptance, and he trusted her. He felt his spiritual body beginning to dissipate, slowly being converted into light energy that flowed throughout Black’s mechanical body. The lion’s strength overcame Shiro, and what was left of him cried as he felt the final nudge the lion gave him.

When he completely opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of his team. Team Voltron. The team he’d been overseeing for the past many months. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t move forward on his own, and felt a gentle, pink-hued presence holding him back. He had no choice but to obey the feeling of family that crashed into him. Things would be ok now. He was here now.

He felt a solid sensation under him when he awoke for real, and immediately found he couldn’t breathe. He jerked upwards, his body sore and uncoordinated, hacking up what was left in his lungs. Taking in his surroundings, he saw Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Coran, and Allura surrounding him. Collapsing sideways, he fell into Keith’s waiting arms.

Solid.

Touch.

Safe.

Shiro could touch him. He could feel him. Only then did he recognize his lack of a right arm, but paid it no mind. He was focused solely on the hands touching him and the hugs surrounding him, as well as the locks of snowy white hair that fell around his face. He searched his peripheral, finding no traces of black hair, and decided it was a question for another day. Instead, Shiro looked up to Keith, smiling gently.

“You found me.”


End file.
